County law library in Hillsboro is not just for lawyers

View full sizeM.O. StevensEntrance to the buildingMost people in town know of the public libraries at Shute Park and the new main branch on Brookwood, but not many know about the county's law library in Downtown Hillsboro. Located in the Juvenile Services Building at First and Lincoln (NE corner), the free library allows residents access to research legal issues. However, they cannot give you legal advice nor research the law for you. Only an attorney who is admitted to the bar can give you legal advice, at least in most instances. And if you need an attorney, the Oregon Bar can assist you with finding one.

The library is open Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm, and closed on holidays. You can email them for what holidays they are closed on, or for more info. To access the library, use the Lincoln Street entrance to enter the building and then head upstairs to the second floor. Inside are volumes of statutes, cases, treatises, and other legal material providing plenty of legalese for everyone. The library also has computers for some research as well as Wi-Fi access for those bringing a laptop.

M.O. StevensInside a typical law libraryIf you cannot make it to the library or have some research to do late at night, then the library also provides some limited resources online through the county's library service (ironically, also in the same building). The law library provides access to HeinOnline through the Washington County Cooperative Library Services website, you just need your library card number. HeinOnline is a very limited service in its scope, and is not a replacement for the law library or what you can get from Westlaw of LexisNexis, but you might find what you are looking for.

For those of us who are attorneys, the law library has a nice program for donating law books. So if you have some volumes you no longer need, they may take them or be able to direct them to someone who can use them. Or you can be like me and keep them around so you look important and learned. And just FYI, tax dollars do not maintain the library, as all funding comes from fees paid to the court.